till death do us part

TILL DEATH DO US PART

Bill and Sandy Wiesner live in the woods of Northern Wisconsin, have been married for over forty years, raised two children and now a heap of grandchildren. They share everything with each other, including a passion that has taken them across the world: hunting.

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: The head of a white-tailed deer lays amongst other harvests atop the shed of Bill “Bear Crazy” and Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner. “Years ago, people hunted for food and we certainly aren’t in that situation now, but that doesn’t mean we should just waste the parts of the animal we don’t use,” said Sandy.

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: Light pours in the kitchen window of the home of Bill “Bear Crazy” and Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner during the early morning hours of gun season for white-tailed deer.

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: Family pet Grizz lays in the front hallway of the home of Bill “Bear Crazy” and Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner.

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: A letter addressed to Bill “Bear Crazy” Wiesner sits in the front hallway of the home he shares with his wife, Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner. Bill is one of most revered bow hunters and designers in the United States. His achievements are numerous and many are yet to be equaled, including becoming a member of the “Red Arrow Society”, awarded to him as the first non-tribal member by the Lakota Sioux Nation for archery contribution to the tribe.

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner walks to the deer stand early in the morning before the deer awake. Sandy is an archery expert and a prolific sportswoman and is known throughout the industry for having created a profound impact for female hunters throughout the United States. She was one of the first in Wisconsin to graduate as an instructor for the Wisconsin Bowhunter Program.

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner sits in the deer stand early in the morning waiting for the deer to walk in her path. “The woods is eerie when you start hunting”, she explains. “You become a part of nature; you smell the woods, see the geese flying over, see spiders making webs right in front of you.”

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: A white-tailed deer shot during a deer drive early in the morning is left in Bill “Bear Crazy” and Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner’s yard by their son Brad and the rest of their family so they could go back out and keep hunting. “I can’t believe they just left it here like this,” says Bill of the deer. “It should be hung up to dry like the rest.”

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: Two white-tailed deer hang from the deer post to dry out while another lies on the ground fresh from an early morning deer drive by Bill “Bear Crazy” and Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner’s son, Brad and the rest of their family.

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: Bill “Bear Crazy” Wiesner surveys the most recent harvests from gun season for hunting white-tailed deer left by his sons and the rest of the family. “Our whole family enjoys the outdoors,” says Bill.

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: A hammer lies amongst the remains of the most recent harvest from gun season for hunting white-tailed deer in a trailer in the yard of Bill “Bear Crazy” and Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner.

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: The skull of a white-tailed deer lays amongst other harvests atop the shed of Bill “Bear Crazy” and Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner. “Years ago, people hunted for food and we certainly aren’t in that situation now, but that doesn’t mean we should just waste the parts of the animal we don’t use,” said Sandy.

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: The taxidermied head of a buck is displayed in the kitchen of Bill “Bear Crazy” and Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner’s home. “When I first started hunting, if I didn’t come home with an animal, I’d be disgusted,” Bill explains. “But as we’ve gotten older, we have removed ourselves from the promotional side of hunting because it teaches people to go to any extreme to shoot the biggest animal they can which ultimately discourages all the kids who are trying to get into the sport.”

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: The barn is visible from the front door of the family home of Bill “Bear Crazy” and Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner.

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: The family of Bill “Bear Crazy” and Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner waits to go out on their second hunt of the day. On a normal day of hunting, the entire family gets up at 5AM, eats breakfast and coffee, goes to the stand at 6AM, sits until 10AM, comes home for lunch, goes back out at 2PM and does it all again the next day.

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011:

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: Bill “Bear Crazy” and Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner, who have been married for 39 years, meet up in the woods after a hunt. “I started hunting with Bill because if I hadn’t, I never would have seen him once hunting season started,” said Sandy.

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin – November 2011: The taxidermied head of a buck is displayed in the kitchen of Bill “Bear Crazy” and Sandy “Mrs. Bear Crazy” Wiesner’s home. “When I first started hunting, if I didn’t come home with an animal, I’d be disgusted,” Bill explains. “But now, getting the animal is the bonus. Hunting is our lives.”